Arizona Real Estate License Practice Exam 2026 - Free Real Estate Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct answer is "C" because severalty refers to a form of property ownership where an individual holds title to the property exclusively, independent of any other owners. This means that one person has the sole rights and responsibilities related to that property, including the ability to sell, lease, or encumber it without needing the consent of anyone else.

In contrast, joint tenants and tenants in common involve multiple owners. With joint tenancy, all owners share equal rights to the property and have the right of survivorship, meaning that if one owner dies, their interest automatically passes to the surviving owners. Tenants in common, while allowing fractional ownership, do not provide the right of survivorship, and each owner can sell or transfer their interest independently, but they still do not hold the title in severalty. Community property applies to married couples, where both partners have an equal interest in property acquired during the marriage, again not independent from each other.

Thus, the essence of severalty is complete ownership by a single individual, which is distinct from the shared or communal nature of the other forms of ownership listed.